Bezela Foodstore
Peter Barnes Real Estate Interview: Jess Sissons
– Bezela Foodstore
Busy estate agents endure long days in the office
negotiating for their clients. In order to keep
the passion for service beating loud in their hearts,
yummy foods are needed throughout the year –
particularly so during winter. Luckily, the Peter
Barnes Real Estate team are serviced by the nearby
exotic Bezela Foodstore on Elgin Street. Each day
Jess Sissons gets the home fires burning and delivers
up an array of delicious foods such as mussels in
spicy coconut broth, prosciutto, bocconcini and
basil frittata and red curry chicken with green
beans. Today we’re pleased to introduce the
Bezela Foodstore to you with our exclusive interview
with owner Jess.
What does 'Bezela' mean?
I grew up on a dairy farm and Bezela was my pet
cow. Her mother died calving her, so I looked after
her in those first few weeks and she became very
friendly.
What kind of food do you specialize in at
Bezela Foodstore, and what are your main culinary
influences?
We cook a really wide range of food from all different
cultures. On any given day we will have a Moroccan
Tagine, Turkish Green Beans, Tunisian Beef or
a New Orleans Spicy Meat Gumbo. I buy a huge range
of cookbooks and around 5 or 6 magazines a month
giving me lots of inspiration. And my customers
are always sharing their recipes with me too,
which is a great way to build a sense of community.
Have you always worked in hospitality, or
have you enjoyed a previous career in another
industry?
I have pretty much always worked in hospitality
(with a few little breaks in the Education Department,
or painting with my Dad) but always returning
to food.
Can people come in and enjoy coffee and breakfast
on weekends at Bezela? What's your most popular
brekky?
Unfortunately we do not have any tables, but people
can take away brekky. We do things like Goji berry
porridge, banana bread, toasted sandwiches, muffins,
fruit toast and frittata
If you could invite ANY THREE PEOPLE in the
world to dine with you, who would they be, why
would you choose them and what would you serve
them from the Bezela Foodstore?
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver and
Maggie Beer because they are all so influential
in the education of eating free range produce,
and they’re amazing cooks. I would cook up
some of our beautiful fresh meat from our friends
at McIvor Pig Farm or Enviromeat beef to showcase
how great some of our local producers are.
What is your favorite thing about Carlton?
Carlton is a nice place to live and work. There
are lots of great places to eat and drink and
lovely parks to sit and enjoy a sunny day.
What has been something wonderful and unexpected
that has come from opening and operating the Bezela
Foodstore?
When we opened I was not expecting the overwhelming
support of the locals and the sense of community
in the Carlton area, and that is what I love above
anything else. We are on a first name basis with
all of our regular customers and enjoy being a
part of their daily routine.
How important are organic/free range produce
to locals in the area? Have you noticed a changing
trend?
When we first opened I was worried that it was
just us who cared about free range. It took a
little while for our reputation to get out there
and for Bezela to become known for free range
products, but we now have people coming in every
day and asking for free range because they won’t
eat anything else. Having worked in Carlton for
nearly 10 years, the amount of poeple requesting
free range has increased greatly.
Bezela Foodstore
105 Elgin Street, Carlton
http://bezelafoodstore.blogspot.com.au/
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